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Sex is Not About Reproduction?

“Sex is not about reproduction. At all.” Today on BOLD, LeGrande Green interviews sex researcher Christopher Ryan about the provocative history of marriage and sexual boundaries. “If you look at it from a historical sense,” he says, “monogamy is propaganda, not science. I often compare it with vegetarianism…it’s a choice.”

From a male perspective it is much easier to decide sex is not about reproduction. How many women would feel that same way? From a female perspective reproduction is a big part of sex. Birth control, having a monthly period and pregnancy are all linked to sex – unless you’re a male. For men the issue of reproduction is whether or not they use a condom. Big difference, but it makes it much easier for men to think sex is just sex, without consequences or something you have to plan for.

Too bad reproduction isn’t a choice. Women could choose to get pregnant, or not, without requiring sex partners, doctors, lawyers or anyone else. If a woman wanted a baby but didn’t really see any man she wanted to be with, monogamous or not, she could just choose to be pregnant. If a woman did not want to be pregnant she could choose to terminate a pregnancy without getting approval or judgment from anyone. If a woman just wanted to have sex, an orgasm or three, she could choose that, even with a partner.

Yes, women can get abortions. If they qualify. If they can afford it. If they are willing to risk being under the knife and if they can take on the guilt and sadness of aborting a developing life. Abortions are no simple thing. But, they don’t happen to men.

Sex would be much simpler for women if they could eliminate the reproduction issues caused by sex. But, so far science hasn’t found a way to make that a choice for women.